Cap on TOPS scholarships killed

11:46 PM,
Apr. 25, 2013

State Sen. Dan 'Blade' Morrish, R-Jennings speaks in favor of Senate Bill 83 which would have capped TOPS awards during the Senate Education Committee meeting Thursday at the state Capitol in Baton Rouge.

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An attempt to place a cap on what the state-funded scholarship would pay each year was killed Thursday in the Senate Education Committee and can't be revived.

Rep. Dan "Blade" Morrish, R-Jennings, has tried for several years to cap Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) because the cost keeps rising each year. He told the committee that this plan was "fair, generous and liberal" in that it allowed payments of 10 percent more than TOPS recipient's university' costs to provide an education.

Another aspect of Senate Bill 83 would allow universities to come to the Legislature every two ...